A senior Garda has reminded city motorists to lock and remove all valuables from cars parked in public places after figures confirm an increase in thefts.
But, overall, there was a big drop in crime in Galway City – which was mainly attributed to the snow of recent weeks.
Superintendent Marie Skehill said many thefts from vehicles in Galway were carried out on cars that were unlocked.
She warned people visiting graveyards, GAA and soccer pitches, city parks and other amenities, to lock their vehicles and to take valuables such as handbags and laptops with them.
Supt Skehill made the comments during the latest Joint Policing Committee meeting.
In her local crime stats report to the meeting, Supt Skehill revealed that overall crime has reduced by 40% in the first two months of 2018, compared with January and February last year.
There were some 773 crimes recorded during those months in 2018, which included a period of time when the city was in lockdown due to snow and severe weather. That was 523 fewer crimes compared with the first two months of 2017.
Despite a dramatic reduction in crimes, thefts from vehicles, shops and from people all increased during the first two months of the year.
Thefts from vehicles were up by seven (37%) to 26 incidents; thefts from person were up by five incidents (71%) to 12; and thefts from shops were up by 22 (33%) to 88 incidents.
Theft other, which can include thefts of mobile phones in pubs, was down by 12 (24%) to 39 incidents.
Burglaries have halved during January and February compared with the same two months last year. There were 32 burglaries reported during that period, 36 fewer than the same period in 2017.
There were four serious road accidents, two more than January and February of 2017.
Supt Skehill noted that public order offences have fallen by 14% to 82 incidents; but assaults causing harm have increased by three to 10, and minor assaults are up by 19 to 45, which is a 73% spike.
Labour Party City Councillor Niall McNelis said online theft and fraud was now widespread and Supt Skehill agreed to include stats for this particular crime in the next Garda report if agreeable to the Garda analyst.
Community activist Joe Loughnane, chairman of GARN (Galway Anti Racism Network), said a lot of people were going to his organisation with complaints about racist abuse.
These included Irish Travellers, East European bouncers and bar staff, Asian fast-food workers and African taxi drivers. He accused Gardaí of not taking seriously racial abuse.
Supt Skehill said she and Chief Supt Tom Curley take racists crimes seriously, and she confirmed Galway Garda Station has an ethnic liaison officer, and all community Gardaí are ethnic liaison officers.
The post 40% drop in criminal activity in Galway City appeared first on Connacht Tribune.